‘People have a right to be angry’ says MEP candidate on a generation left behind | BreakingNews.ie

An independent candidate running in the European election says “people have a right to be angry” and he can relate to their anger around the housing and cost of living crises.

Brendan Ogle, who is running as a candidate for Dublin, is concerned by how people’s genuine anger is being targeted towards migrants as opposed to those in power.

The Dundalk native is a trade union official with Unite the Union and was part of the ESB strike in the 2000s, as well as the Right2Water campaign.

After decades of being part of the trade union movement, he has decided to take the plunge and run in the upcoming European elections.

Speaking to BreakingNews.ie while putting up the last of his election posters, he says: “People have a right to be angry. I can relate to their anger to be honest.

“Anger is not a policy though it might be justifiable, but it will not solve anything. The hardest thing to do when you are looking for solutions is to push up against power.”

He says the problem is that people are directing their anger at refugees as opposed to the Government, which is essentially “letting them off the hook.”

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have been in power for over a century. Surely they are the ones to blame, not someone who just got off a boat.

“The primary issue here is housing. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have been in power for over a century, surely they are the ones to blame, not someone who just got off a boat,” he says.

He is “concerned” that the working class is being exploited by anti-immigrant sentiments.

“We have a perfect storm now with the war in Ukraine and accomodation issues. We have to weather the storm and make sure we focus our anger on the right people,” he says.

In terms of the city he hopes to represent, he feels Dublin city does not get enough air time on the European stage.

“I think Dublin needs to be heard in Europe. These people go off on a plane to Brussels wearing the green jersey, and it is as if everything is great here. There are huge difficulties in this city at the moment.”

If he was elected, he says he would set up an education and discussion hub in the middle of Dublin city centre. “I would not be hiding away for five years, that is for sure.”

The idea is to give people a space to discuss “best practice solutions regarding the housing crisis, health, childcare etc.”

Public housing

Having travelled to Cologne recently, he met with an Irish family who had moved from Dublin. “Why is there genuine public housing in the likes of Vienna, Antwerp and Berlin, but not here?” he asks.

“We stopped building social housing in the 1970s for some reason. I don’t know why public housing is such a dirty word in Ireland, it isn’t across Europe.”

He thinks there should be a state house building authority to build ‘genuine’ social housing on state-owned land.

As a father to two daughters, he can see the real impact the housing crisis is having on their future.

We have situations where homes are lying empty because an elderly person is in a nursing home and their grandchild cannot find a house.

“We have situations where homes are lying empty because an elderly person is in a nursing home and their grandchild cannot find a house.

He says the lives of young people are being “cut short and stunted” because they cannot get onto the property ladder like previous generations.

He asks: “Why is it that 68 per cent of 25-29 year-olds are living with their parents? That number is horrific really. The EU average is around 40 per cent.”

Regarding the safety of Dublin city, he feels things have got worse in the past few years.

“I think there is visible social decay. There is a noticeable increase in anti-social behaviour as well. I work in the city centre and some of the scenes I see are just unacceptable; there are dead bodies and overdoses.”

He says Dublin city needs to be cleaned and the north side of the city to be regenerated.

When it comes to policing, he says there needs to be a change in mindset. “We have gone over 100 years with policing by consent, perhaps we have reached a junction where we have to reevaluate that approach.

“We need to properly resource the gardaí in the city,” he says.

Clare Daly announcing herself for re-election. Photo: Sam Boal/Collins

Russian sanctions

When it comes to the current MEP for Dublin, Clare Daly, she is a very polarising figure. Brendan Ogle says he is “appalled” by the job she has done the last five years.

“It is as if the people of Dublin elected her and then she became a mouthpiece for Moscow. She has not delivered at all for the people of Dubin in the last five years.

How can you oppose genocide in Palestine and not sanctions against Russia?

“How can you oppose genocide in Palestine and not sanctions against Russia?” he asks.

He says if he was MEP for Dublin he would push for Ireland to have “real neutrality” by investing in our Defence Forces.

“We do not know what is going on in our seas, we do not have an air force to protect our skies.”

He says Ireland cannot be neutral while not investing in protection. “You are essentially a vassal state rather than a neutral one.”

He says Clare Daly is constantly “picks sides” before saying “I am anti-US intervention and against Russian intervention. It is really that simple.”

For Mr Ogle, it ultimately comes down to using that justifiable anger in the right way.

“My approach is understanding people’s anger but trying to bring people together and not by punching down. I pledge that no one will be able to say Dublin was not brought up at an EU level if I am elected.”